A Word from Our Chief Compliance Officer, James Mathis

Since joining Vanderbilt in 2013 as the Chief Clinical Enterprise Compliance Officer, I have been responsible for the leadership and guidance of the Compliance Program that addresses the regulatory compliance in the clinical enterprise. I feel honored that I have been appointed the position of Chief Compliance Officer effective July 1, 2014. In furtherance of my efforts to enhance Vanderbilt’s growing reputation as a national leader, I will oversee the Office of Healthcare Compliance to ensure that the clinical and academic enterprise implement and maintain an effective compliance program that includes the seven key elements as follows:

Written standards of conduct and policy

Compliance Officer and oversight Committee

Regular training of employees

Process to receive complaints

Process to respond to allegations and remedy problems

Audits to monitor compliance

Process to investigate identified concerns

The medical center’s compliance program is managed by the Office of Healthcare Compliance, but it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure its success by following Vanderbilt’s policies and procedures, which are designed to follow the laws, rules, and regulations that govern the health care industry, and by doing the right thing and speaking up when unethical, illegal or unsafe activity is known or suspected.

The Vanderbilt Office of Healthcare Compliance’s mission is to ensure and promote the highest standards of business ethics. Vanderbilt is committed to complying with all federal and state laws, rules and regulations. The Office of Healthcare Compliance specifically is charged with:

The Office of Healthcare Compliance is charged with identifying and mitigating risks associated with potential violations of the anti-kickback statute, Stark Laws, the Federal and State False Claims Act and various other laws and rules that impact billing, coding, and reimbursement for the Medical Center. While Healthcare Compliance is involved with a multitude of compliance related functions and responsbilities, the primary focus is compliance with billing and coding.